- Mike Grier says Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith extensions are the Sharks’ next priority
- Both young forwards became eligible for new deals July 1 and can be RFAs after this season
- Read below for Grier’s full comments and the media availability video
Mike Grier isn’t finished spending in San Jose.
The Sharks general manager said Thursday that getting Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith locked into extensions is the next item on his desk, one day after a loaded start to free agency.
Both forwards became eligible for new contracts on July 1. Each is heading into the final year of his entry-level deal, and each can become a restricted free agent next summer. Grier hasn’t opened talks with either camp yet, and he laid out why.
Grier was asked whether extension conversations had started with his two young stars:
“In the time leading up to the draft, and free agency is a busy time for not only us but for agents as well,” Grier said. “I think all sides, and in all three of those cases, just thought it’d be better to get through this wave of free agency, and I’m sure we’ll start to have some conversations here shortly.”
Watch Grier’s full media availability:
The “three cases” line points to Collin Graf, the Sharks’ only remaining restricted free agent after Shakir Mukhamadullin was shipped to Edmonton.
Grier packed plenty into the first 48 hours. San Jose added forward Mason Marchment, defenseman Jacob Trouba and goalie Eric Comrie in free agency, then landed veteran blueliner Darnell Nurse in a trade with the Oilers. He also checked one signing off the board Thursday, inking No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg to his entry-level contract:
Grier liked the haul.
“We were looking to improve our team, and I think we did that yesterday,” Grier said. “This week in general has been a good week for the organization for the short term and the long term.”
The Celebrini and Smith deals are the ones that will shape everything else. Celebrini, the 2024 first overall pick, and Smith, the No. 4 selection in that same draft, are the players San Jose is building its rebuild around. The two have already given Sharks fans a taste of what’s coming:
Both are due for a raise. Grier just wants to clear the free-agent rush off his plate before he starts writing the big checks.
